Hearing delayed in Pa. fatal pedestrian accident

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — A preliminary hearing for a Greencastle, Pa., man accused of fatally striking a woman with his car has been delayed.

Benjamin Rodger Savage, 31, is charged with homicide by vehicle, accidents involving death or personal injury, involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving, Waynesboro police said in a news release.

Savage’s preliminary hearing scheduled for Tuesday at 1 p.m. in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, Chambersburg, was continued until Sept. 3 at 1 p.m., according to online court records.

Police allege that Savage was driving a car that struck and fatally injured 22-year-old Kristi Lee Queen at about 2 a.m. on Aug. 11 in the first block of West Sixth Street near the intersection with South Church Street in Waynesboro, Pa.

The Franklin County (Pa.) 911 Center received an anonymous tip on the afternoon of Aug. 11 that authorities should check a property on North Potomac Street for the vehicle involved in the crash, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

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Police said they found a damaged black Volkswagen GTI with hair and blood on the windshield.

Savage allegedly told police the car was his and that he was “screwed,” before saying he did not want to talk further to officers, the charging documents said.

Two witnesses to the crash said they were walking with Queen after leaving Break Away Sports Lounge.

One of the witnesses said he heard loud exhaust from a vehicle as he and Queen were crossing West Sixth Street, the affidavit said.

The man told police he saw headlights and tried to grab Queen’s arm to pull her out of the oncoming vehicle’s path, the affidavit said.

The man said his hand slipped off her arm, clutching instead at her purse, the affidavit said.

He “stated the vehicle did not slow down before or after striking Queen ... (and that she) flew up in the air after being struck by the vehicle,” the affidavit said.

Queen had a heartbeat when they arrived on the scene, police said in court documents.

Emergency medical crews took over Queen’s care and advised that she died, so the Franklin County Coroner’s Office was called, the affidavit said.

Savage previously served time in the county jail, including for a case involving simple assault and harassment charges filed in 2011. He was sentenced to three to 23 months in that case, online records said.

In 2003, he was arrested twice. One case involved driving under the influence; the other included charges of simple assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, the records said.

Savage is incarcerated in Franklin County (Pa.) Jail without bail, according to online court records.